The dark arts. We all know what it is, and who weilds it, but I'm gonna recap it for us.
Right here and right now...
The dark arts is evil magic. Dark spells used for torturing, maiming or in worst case scenarios, killing. Anything sinister or unmoral is labeled as a "Dark art", hence why at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wisardry, they teach their students for five years how to defend against the dark arts, in lessons that are called (surprisingly) Deffence Against The Dark Arts.
When learning these arts (or the defence of them) it's not for one person to say you're dark.
You may be a good person in a tight situation where a little evil goes a long way in keeping you alive.
But hey, friend, we all know the stories of what a real dark wizard does.
For them it's not just ONE spell, it's hundreds of evil spells, used frequently with the intent of injuring people, or killing.
Good people use those spells in desprate times, not because they reliesh in them like a certain bad wizard does (
You-Know-Who-I'm-Talking-About! *nudge nudge*).
So we understand why they're called "dark". But why are they called "arts"?
Because, Dear reader, they're an artform.
Swishing the wand around, chanting out a phrase that spells out pain for the oponent, the green glow and flash before someone snuffs it... it's hard to get right and it is an art.
It's not just some swish and flick, it's a careful action, each stroke deliberate.
Before you know it, you've got a masterpiece, whether it be a pile of information that you've torturnd out of someone, a safe getaway because you've hexed someone, or a pile of bodies.
The possiblities are endless!
